I realized that i want to mastermind with other people who are on the spiritual path, to get more clarity on what im doing.

3 years ago my ego kicked my ass very hard and i hit rock bottom and ever since i have been deeply intersted in finding the truth, and the more i gain and grow in lifethe more it becomes obvious to me that at least one of our main purposes as human beingsis to reach the truth and be realized.

I have been doing daily sittings for a couple of years only 15min, but recently i atttended a vippassana meditation course by goenka which was a profound experience.

im not sure what path are most of you people are following, but one of the questions i haveis how do i go about finding a master who can point me to the right direction.

I have heard when the student is ready the Teacher will show up, may be i am not ready or may be i am blind to seeing the teacher that is already showed up in my life, but bottom line is i want to find a master to show me the way.

thanks for reading this, hope to get to know more about each of you in the months/years to come,

I'm not sure where you live, but most people begin looking for a teacher, group, or temple in their local area. A good place to start searching is on Buddhanet. I think it has one of the most comprehensive listings online. http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/ You can visit several temples (if that's possible in your area) until you find a teacher that works well with you.

My recommendation would be to continue with the meditation practice taught at the Goenka retreat and commence some studies into the teachings of the Buddha. As far as introductory materials, there's a lot of Dhamma Books that can be read without the guidance of a flesh-and-blood teacher, so don't feel like you need someone to teach Buddhism to you. In fact, a teacher (if/when you find one) would probably be appreciative of your initiative.

Metta,Retro.

"When we transcend one level of truth, the new level becomes what is true for us. The previous one is now false. What one experiences may not be what is experienced by the world in general, but that may well be truer. (Ven. Nanananda)

“I hope, Anuruddha, that you are all living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes.” (MN 31)

I think I am at the state that i need to work one on one with a living teacher. I have plenty on buddhism, its history, its evolution. Know the 8 fold path (conceptually only) 4 truths, heard talks by alan watts on this topic, read the boook "science of enlightnement by shinzen young (any one read this? awesome book)

any way thanks again for feed back and the link. I will continue on my search , cheers

I think you already are on right path by taking up goenkaji's retreat, just please carry on with it.

Regards

Parth

Seconded. I've been practicing under the guidance of Goenkaji for 25 years now. Its a very worthwhile path.All the very best with your practice.kind regards

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

If that's Vancouver BC you're in, there are Goenka style weekly group sits nearby, likely with an AT (Assistant Teacher) in the mix to answer questions. Check the Vipassana website for times locations numbers.You may need to spend time with the master's apprentice before the master hirself.

Hang around - read the forums- see how you can turn all this talk into practice- ask questions - develop the practice steps in the Noble eightfold path. There's plenty to do without having to 'link-up' with a single teacher: there's no guarantee of 'results' even if you do. The Buddha clearly understood how much another person could help (and not), especially if you aren't motivated to put some of it into practice, sitting/talking with a meditation 'master' is not going to help.

oh hi, no not thinking of Goenka- I would give the same advice for the approach to any teacher, myself included. If we we become blinkered and closed off to advice from other teachers (this man is clearly asking advice on the matter, after attending Goenka, s/he seems to want more) we are going to be in trouble.. Do you suggest only sticking to GoenkaG?

oh hi, no not thinking of Goenka- I would give the same advice for the approach to any teacher, myself included.

Thanks for clarifying

If we we become blinkered and closed off to advice from other teachers (this man is clearly asking advice on the matter, after attending Goenka, s/he seems to want more) we are going to be in trouble.. Do you suggest only sticking to GoenkaG?

I for one am sure and convinced that it is right path (the ekayano maggo) I got more than what I ever expected / wanted. Though yes,for Jhana somebody might want to undertake some other meditations (while anapana should suffice but not sure on that).

All meditation themes are right inside of you. Birth, ageing, sickness and death. Same goes for the teacher is right inside of you. You could not see the teacher inside yet, because you are not practicing deep enough to reach into your heart.The book worth the read is your heart. The teacher worth to teach is mindfulness.You need the teacher to open up your very first page of your book.

parth wrote:All thats all right but except for a Buddha / Paccekabuddha a teacher is needed to expound on the Dhamma.

But how do you define 'teacher'?

Arguably many of us here have teachers we've either never met, or who died (or attained parinibbana) centuries before we were even born.

Metta,Retro.

"When we transcend one level of truth, the new level becomes what is true for us. The previous one is now false. What one experiences may not be what is experienced by the world in general, but that may well be truer. (Ven. Nanananda)

“I hope, Anuruddha, that you are all living in concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes.” (MN 31)

There are a lot of talks by different teachers online, here and here, among others. You can listen to a variety of teachers, see which one resonates with you, and go to the teacher if geographically feasible, or go to someone from the same lineage.